The 32-year-old actor, who has been playing Dr Matt Carter since 2010, finished his final scenes on the show earlier this year.

Speaking to The Sunday Mercury, he said: "There were quite long periods when I didn't appear at all, so I realised it was time to leave."

He continued: "They didn't try to make me stay - they admitted they didn't have any solid plans for the doctor and it would be more of the same.

"I thought, 'Fair enough, you've been great but it's time to go'. They just weren't progressing my character as much as I would like. As an actor you want some kind of consistency and to be busy."

Mellor explained that his exit is unlikely to feature as a storyline on the soap, adding: "It's a shame Matt doesn't get an exit storyline - they just stopped using him, unfortunately. But they're not killing him off, so you never know, he could return one day."

Mellor is currently busy working on a production of the play A Murder Has Been Arranged.